Boot-tree and the like.



PATENTBD JUNE 19, 1906;

I. VON ESSEN. BOOT TREE AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED MAB.2, 1905.

AT TY ANDREW. l Gnnlm 00.. PNOTO-LIYIIOGRAPNERS wxsumuwu, D. c

UNITED STAT S xrnnr OFFICE.

= TmAnoF MABIESTAD, SWEDEN.

. BOOT-TREE AND 'THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent; Application fil d March a, 1905.sesame. 248,026.

Patented. June 19, 1906-.

'To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Fnrrz voiv EssEN, a sub ect of the King of Sweden,and a resident of Gardhem, Skofde, in the Kingdom of Sweden, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Boot-Trees and the Like,of which the following is a specification, reference being had thereinto the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to a formor tree for keeping boot tops or legsexpanded so that no wrinkles or creases may be produced in thepatent-leather when the said boot-legs are subjected to pressure orblows, Forms of wood as hitherto employed for the said purpose are veryimpracticable owing to their weight and clumsiness According to thisinvention the forms cons1st of a piece of carton' of any suitablethickness rolled up into slightly conical shape, which by a specialtreatment has been made so hard and at the same time so elastic orresilient that the form can keep the boot-leg expanded when inserted inthe same. A kind of carton known under the name of Unica has been foundvery suitable for the forms in question; but the mode of manufacturingthe carton itself or the material may obviously be varied. The form may,if desired, be provided With an inner expanding device consisting of twosprings, for instance, to assist in keeping the form expanded. For thecontracting of the form handles are fixed 'in the same, which can begrasped by the hand and moved toward each other.

In the accompanying drawings, which serve to illustrate the invention,Figure 1 is a side view of the form; Fi 2, a section of the same on theline A B in ig. 1. Fig. 3 is a top view of the spring device, partly insection; and Fig. 4 is a cross-section of the said device at line C D,Fig. 3.

As mentioned above, the form 1 consists of a piece of stiff carton orany other similar suitable material in a thin stiff sheet, which bysuitable treatment, such as hot-rolling, is wrought into the shape shownin the drawings and resembling a split tube with nonoverlappinglongitudinal edges. When left to itself, the form or tube which taperssomewhat toward one of its ends, assumes a width somewhat greater thanthe inner width of the boot-leg. The form is provided at eachlongitudinal edge made by the split therein with an inner handle 2 ofleather and preferably in the shape of a loop. By pressing the handlesso that thewidth of the form is reduced the same can easily be kept inthe contracted condition and inserted into the boot-leg, and if thehandlesare thenreleased the form becomes wider and expands the boot-leg.When the form is to be taken out from the boot-leg,

it is also contracted by means of the handles.

The expanding power of the form may, if desired, be increased by meansof two springs of the helical shape shown in Fig. 3. The spring 3 ismounted in a U member 4, arranged transversely and corresponding to theinner circumference of the form, the said member being fixed at one endto one edge of the conical form and sliding loosely against the otheredge of the form when the same is contracted or expanded. End abutments5, fixed to the form and between which the springs extend, permit thesprings to have an expanding effect upon the form, and the U-shapedmembers cause them to conform to the curve of the conical form.Obviously, however, the inner expanding device described may be executedin many other ways.

Owing to the lightness, cheapness, and the efliciency of the formdescribed, it is obviously much to be preferred to ordinary forms ofwood, which are heavy and uncomfortable, and a form constructed inaccordance with this invention may also be employed for other purposessimilar to that stated herein.

I claim as my invention 1. An expander for boot-legs and the like,comprising a slightly conical form of resilient material splitlongitudinally, the edges formed by the split being separated by a gapand handles secured centrally to the inner,

surface of the said conical form and adjacent to the edges made by thesplit therein where by the said form may be contracted for insertion ina boot-le or the like.

2. An expander or boot-legs and the like,

comprising a longitudinally-split slightly conical form of resilientmaterial adapted to be placed within a boot-leg, the'edges of thelongitudinal split being separated by a gap, handles secured to theinner surface of the said conica 'form adjacent to the separatedlongitudinal edges made by the longitudinal split therein, and meansinteriorly of the said form for expanding the same 3. An expander forboot-legs and the like,

too

comprising a split sli htly conical form of resilient material the edgesformed by the s lit being separated by a gap, abutments fixe in the saidconical form and springs extending between the said abutments and acrossthe gap between the said edges, and means transversely placed forcausing those parts of the springs which extend between the said edges 0conform to the curve of the said cylindrical orm.

4. An expander for boot-legs and the like, comprising a split slightlyconical form of resilient material, the edges formed by the split beingseparated by a gap, U-shaped guides fixed at one end Within the saidconical form I 5 witnesses. FRITZ VON ESSEN.

Witnesses:

WOLDEMAR SENBERG, FABTsoN UREDE.

